|
|
|
|
|
All told there are, twenty-five 72" enlarged versions
of Auguste Rodin's The Thinker. Of these, fewer than ten were cast
and patinated during his lifetime. One of the last Rodin supervised casts
can be found in Cleveland, Ohio, where it sits directly in front of the
Cleveland Museum of Art. This cast was acquired in 1916, and given to
the Cleveland Museum of Art early in 1917.
The Thinker
Foreign title: Le Penseur
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840 - 1917)
Medium: bronze, green patina
Measurements: Overall: 182.9cm x 98.4cm x 142.2cm
Date: 1880-1881
Gift of Ralph King 1917.42 |
|
|
|
Click on an image for a larger view. |
About The Thinker
One of Auguste Rodin's most famous works, The Thinker was part of
a commission for the Museum of Decorative Arts in Paris. Although the museum
was never built, the commission for the doors was begun, though never completed.
The Gates of Hell is considered one of Rodin's masterworks.
Rodin worked for approximately ten years on the conception, construction,
and arrangement of the Gates of Hell. Each of the main figures included
was originally designed to represent one of the main characters in hell
in Dante's epic poem of 1321, The Divine Comedy. The Thinker,
initially intended to represent Dante himself, was originally positioned
by Rodin at the top of the doorjamb, contemplating the scene below.
In the nearly ten years that Rodin worked on the Gates of Hell, he
changed the format of the images several times. Often he would re-work one
or more of the main sculptural groups, or remove them from the door's composition
altogether. The Thinker, although not frequently included in these
re-workings, was removed from the doors once, along with all of the other
protruding sculptural elements, when the doors were displayed in 1900.
Several of the sculptures designed for the Gates of Hell - especially
The Thinker and The Kiss - became well known as sculptures
independent of the original project. The Thinker was originally entitled
Le Poète (The Poet) by Rodin. He changed the title
to Le Poète/Le Pensure (The Poet/ The Thinker), and
then finally to Le Pensure (The Thinker).
The enlargement of the original 27" version of the sculpture was
not difficult thanks to the help of an enlarging mechanism called the
colas machine and the assistance of Henri Lebosse. Using the process
that Lebosse developed, Rodin's original model could be "traced"
onto another block of clay, and in the process, enlarged or reduced.
|
|
The Thinker
Foreign title: Le Penseur
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840 - 1917)
Medium: bronze, green patina
Measurements: Overall: 182.9cm x 98.4cm x 142.2cm
Date: 1880-1881
Gift of Ralph King 1917.42
|
|
Tradition of
Outdoor, Public Placement
Although created for the Gates of Hell, The Thinker took on
an alternate significance and became a symbol of freedom and knowledge.
After its first exhibition, a public petition was circulated to have
the 72" sculpture purchased and donated to the people of France.
After its purchase in 1906, the initial enlarged version of Rodin's The
Thinker was placed outside of the Pantheon in Paris, where it stayed
until 1922. It was later removed from its original placement because it
was said to create an obstacle to public events, and, also because it
had taken on socialist connotations. It was subsequently transported to
the Musee Rodin, in the former Hotel Biron.
There the statue sits today on its original pedestal in the exterior
gardens of the Museum. There is also another version of The Thinker
located over the grave of Auguste and Rose Rodin. Auguste Rodin placed
it there upon the death of his wife, and when he passed away in 1917,
he was also buried below it. Because the original Gates of Hell
were designed as outdoor sculpture, and Rodin's first enlargement was
placed outdoors in front of the Pantheon, most of Rodin's subsequent enlargements
have ended up outdoors as well. Unfortunately this leaves these works
unprotected from both the elements and the public.
|
The Thinker
Foreign title: Le Penseur
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840 - 1917)
Medium: bronze, green patina
Measurements: Overall: 182.9cm x 98.4cm x 142.2cm
Date: 1880-1881
Gift of Ralph King 1917.42
|
|
Location of
the Original Reproductions
All told there are twenty-five castings of the enlarged version of Rodin's
The Thinker. Of these, less than ten were cast and patinated during
his lifetime.
Two of these early examples can currently be found n Paris, one in the Hotel
Biron, which is currently the Musee Rodin, and one that is directly over
the Rodin gravesite.
One of the last Rodin-supervised casts can be found in Cleveland, Ohio,
where it sits directly in front of the Cleveland Museum of Art. This cast
was acquired in 1917, just after the Museum opened to the public.
|
The twenty remaining castings of The Thinker were done posthumously.
At least seven or eight of these were from the original series of enlargements
that Rodin had begun before his death. The remainder were part of a recast
edition sanctioned by Auguste Rodin and undertaken by the Musee Rodin in
1960. Rather curiously, there seems to be at least one unauthorized casting
of this figure that is currently housed in Germany at the Kunsthalle Richard
Kaselowsky-Haus, Bielifield.
|
Where to find
The Thinker in North America
- Baltimore Museum of Art, Baltimore, Maryland
- Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio
- Columbia Savings and Loan, Denver, Colorado
- Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit, Michigan
- Allen R. Hite Art Institute, University of Louisville, Louisville,
Kentucky
- Columbia University, New York, New York
- The Gerald B. Cantor Sculpture Center, New York, New York
- The Norton Simon Museum, Pasadena, California
- The Rodin Museum of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- California Palace of the Legion of Honor, San Francisco, California
- Walters Art Museum, Baltimore, Maryland
- William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art, Kansas City, Missouri
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas
|
|
Where to find
The Thinker around the world
- Plaza del Congresso, Buenos Aries, Argentina
- Kunsthalle Richard Kaselowsky-Haus, Bielifield, Germany
- National Gallery, Berlin, German
- Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, Denmark
- Kyoto National Museum, Kyoto, Japan
- Laeken, Belgium Cemetery
- Musée Rodin, Meudon, France
- State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow, Russia
- Municipal Museum, Nagoya , Japan
- Musée Rodin, Paris France
- Prins Eugens Waldermarsudde, Stockholm, Sweden
- National Museum of Western Art, Tokyo, Japan
|
The Thinker Vandalized
At approximately 1am on March 24, 1970, a bomb irreparably damaged the Cleveland
Museum's version of Rodin's The Thinker. The bomb itself had been
placed on a pedestal that supported the enlargement and had the power of
about three sticks of dynamite.
No one was injured in the subsequent blast, but the statue's base and
lower legs were destroyed. The remaining sections of the cast were blown
backward to form a 'plume' at the base, and the entire statue was knocked
to the ground. It was reported that this attack was undertaken by a
radical political group, perhaps as a commentary on the continuing military
action in Vietnam or the elitism of the American government.
Regardless, no one was ever arrested or charged with the destruction.
However, the incident highlighted several conservation issues related
directly to artistic intent. Since the piece was so dramatically damaged,
the Museum was unsure how to proceed. One idea was to create an entirely
new cast to replace the damaged work. Another idea was to restore the
sculpture by recasting elements of Rodin's original. Finally, however,
it was decided that the statue should not be repaired, but placed outside
the Museum in its damaged condition.
|
Conservation Issues
The museum's large cast of The Thinker has a unique history that
highlights some of the ethical and practical issues inherent in the field
of conservation. Cast under Rodin's direct supervision, the large version
of The Thinker was purchasesd from the artist by Clevelander Ralph
T. King who donated it to the museum in 1917. First displayed in the museum's
rotunda, it was soon moved outside, to the museum's south entrance. Once
the sculpture was outdoors, its surface began to corrode almost immediately,
changing the color and appearance of the metal. Over the years, hand-rubbing,
wax, and commercial oil preparations were used to protect it. Then, in 1970,
the sculpture was severely damaged by a dynamite explosion. According to
the Cleveland Police Department, this act of vandalism was committed by
a cell of the politically radical Weather Underground that was operating
in Cleveland at the time.
In the aftermath of the bombing, the museum considered three options: 1)
obtain and display a replacement cast; 2) repair the sculpture by welding
on newly-cast sections to replace the areas that were damaged; 3) mount
and display the damaged sculpture. All three options were problematic in
some way. With the first, a new cast of the complete sculpture would be
removed historically from the original, which was so closely connected with
the artist. A recast would in essence be a reprodcution. With the second,
distortions caused by the dynamite blast would have made it difficult to
align the replacement sections with those original sculpture. The third
option was chosen largely because it preserved what was left of Rodin's
original work and because the damaged sculpture would bear vivid witness
to a period of political unrest in the United States during the Vietnam
War. Like the museum's other outdoor sculptures, The Thinker now
receives routine maintenance twice a year. It is washed and rewaxed each
spring and fall.
An imteresting comparison can be made with the musem's small version of
The Thinker. Also cast in the late 19th century under Rodin's direct
supervision, this work has remained indoors, in the controlled environment
of the museum, and is in excllent condition. The original surface and artistic
intention have been preserved.
|
|
The Thinker
Foreign title: Le Penseur
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840 - 1917)
Medium: bronze, green patina
Measurements: Overall: 182.9cm x 98.4cm x 142.2cm
Date: 1880-1881
Gift of Ralph King 1917.42
|
|
Related Sculptures at the CMA
Aside from the Cleveland Museum of Art's large cast of The Thinker,
there are several other sculptures in the museum's collection that directly
relate to Rodin's plans for the Gates of Hell. The CMA owns two smaller
versions of The Thinker, 27 inches and 14 inches respectively. There is
also the Embracing Couple, which like much of the door's imagery,
was inspired by Dante's Divine Comedy. The CMA also has several sculptures
that may have been studies for the tangled mass of figures that surround
the door including Les Dammes and the Fallen Angels.
|
The Age of Bronze
Auguste Rodin (French, 1840 - 1917)
Medium: bronze
Measurements: with base: 180.8cm x 66.4cm
Date: 1875-1876
Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Ralph King 1918.328
|
|
Rodin as a 19th-Century Sculptor
The mid-19th century sculptor August Rodin was greatly influenced by
the expressive and innovative sculpture of the Early and High Renaissance
and Mannerism. The work of Michaelangelo (1475-1564), Dontato Bramante
(1444-1514), and Lorenzo Ghiberti (1378 - 1455) were his inspirations,
and he sought to create dramatic, refined sculptures patterned after
their works.
Commissioned sculptural groups like the Burghers of Calais and the
Gates of Hell clearly show Rodin's debt to the Renaissance and his
commitment to the expressive qualities of his medium. Rodin clearly influence
visual artist who came after him with his expressive style and tactile handling
of the clay and wax used to create his initial models.
Rodin was not alone in his experimental handling of the sculptural form.
Edgar Degas (1834-1917), in particular, was clearly interested in new and
expressive ways to model human and animal motion. There were also a number
of decorative artists who called on Rodin's skills as a sculptor for both
assistance and inspiration in their own works.
|
|
